Related Stories

If the chief can’t handle today’s economic realities, why not turn it over to CPI to give it a shot.

CPI?

Civic Protection Institute.

Make note of it because if police keep pricing themselves to a level taxpayers can’t afford, CPI will become to policing of the future what Sir Robert Peel is to policing of past and present.

Interesting it’s a former Peel Region cop who could help steer them there.

CPI is, in essence, a non-profit concept being set up as an umbrella organization to oversee, co-ordinate and integrate police with security, technology, science and forensic experts to provide modern law enforcement in times where money is stretched.

It could be described as a private-public partnership model with a professional standards organization over it.

“What has happened in Toronto is no different than many other cities,” said Chief Operating Officer Gregory Saville. “Obviously the police do many things well but I am not afraid to be critical when it’s time to be critical and what has set in is a bad case of mission creep.”

Mission creep is a term used often for when military operations start expanding into areas beyond their original task or sometimes competency levels.

Toronto Police Association President Michael McCormack has already hinted loudly that layoffs could result in things reaching court.

“It’s not surprising the union would want to protect mission creep since it means more money for their members,” said Saville.

And for the brass, it’s difficult to change.

Blair was even on Newstalk 1010 with John Tory suggesting the city will be facing danger as a result and that it should be the politicians held responsible.

Fighting words.

“You can’t dispute the math,” the chief told reporters of his challenge.

If Blair can’t find a calculator to trim $21-million out of his $950-million budget give it to Saville.

“It’s not hard to find efficiencies because not everything the Toronto Police do today are things they need to do,” said Saville.

How about the Marine Unit itself? How much could be saved by having a private marine policing company handle some of the duties and equipment with police involvement?

Mounted Unit, K-9 services and school crossing guards are other areas that are crying out for out-of-the-box 2012-13 thinking. “And that’s the low-hanging fruit in terms of cost savings,” said Saville. “When it comes to investigations, there is plenty of money to be saved.”

Video Services is one example. Why not contract some of that out? Forensic, equipment maintenance and science evidence collection too. Same goes with having officers — on or off official duty — tied up guarding a crime, accident or construction scene or movie set.

Why not have a properly trained but lower-paid security guard do it?

Although it certainly doesn’t have to go this far, it’s pretty clear there are areas the chief could work with his board and his union in finding ways to help out the average taxpayer who pays the freight in the first place.

The Toronto Police Services Board vice-chair, Councillor Michael Thompson, said despite the chief’s bluster and sky-will-fall rhetoric, the board is expecting him to get to the 0% increase they have asked for.

He says it’s not really negotiable and it’s the chief’s job to find the cuts he has been asked to find.

“There are hundreds of people in the court services. In fact it would be the 12th largest in Canada if it was its own police force,” said Thompson of places that could face reductions. “They could also restore the TTC security and put the police officers back on their regular beats.”

There are things that could be done but TPS did not respond to questions for this column.

The real question in this tough budget process is who is the boss?

Is it Blair or the board?

Stay tuned.

“In the past police services are used to the boards being ‘their boards’ and rubber- stampers,” said Thompson. “It’s just can’t be like that anymore with today’s economics.”

In other words, it’s going to be an interesting board meeting Monday.

If the chief is still insistent he “can’t” perhaps its time to allow for a guy like Saville who says he can?